Does anyone here have or have a family member who has Asperger's Syndrome?

[jmcook79]

For those who don't know, it's a form of autism known as "high functioning" autism. I was diagnosed with it last year and it explains a lot of problems I've had all my life. Most people with Aspergers can live a mostly normal life, but the symptoms are slow or impeded social development, anxiety, depression, and O.C.D. Unfortunately I have all three and have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder as well as O.C.D. although it's not as severe.

Many people think someone must have had a bad childhood or they just "can't handle" stress but in actuality, the anxiety and depression are just there for no apparent reason. Someone with these problems doesn't necessarily need to have anything to be depressed or have anxiety about. That's the difference between actually having clinical depression/anxiety and just being depressed. Since I've been diagnosed I have started taking 3 different medications, and it has helped a lot.

I'm just curious if anyone here has or knows someone who had Aspergers.

 

[Rukbat]

I think this is really more of a sliding scale than a yes/no thing. We all have OCD to one extent or another. (Or maybe I'm just a bit obsessive about that. And yes it was deliberate.) Some of us handle social stress like rubber handles rain, others like tissue handles it, most of us fall somewhere in the middle.

I think demanding labels that fall into specific slots is just another way that people like PT Barnum avoid having to actually work for a living. If you can pass for normal (whatever "normal" means), you're normal. I don't care what label someone puts on me (unless she's wearing a ring I put on her finger, and she seems to think I'm pretty okay).

 

[jmcook79]

Well once someone gets to know me in person, they realize I can't handle stress the way most people do so I'd say I'm down near the low end of the scale with the tissues lol. Without my meds I was an absolute basket-case and borderline suicidal but now It's more manageable.

I'd say I have learned to fake being "normal" just enough to hold a job for the last 13 years but I'm always on the edge.

As far as O.C.D. just a simple thing like choosing an electric shaver or a new laptop made me only get 2-3 hours of sleep at night for almost a month before I made a choice...things like this consumed my whole life like an unstoppable monster. That was before I was on the meds.

Not that I'm complaining, it is what it is and I'm not looking for sympathy, just others who may have the same problems.

 

[msndrstood]

Yes, my daughter was diagnosed at age 30. She's extremely intelligent but has issues with not being able to 'read' people and verbal clues. Originally misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. She's doing great, but she has her moments of meltdown. And now she's having signs and symptoms of MS (which I have). Her plate is full, but she is coping well.

 

[msndrstood]

Well once someone gets to know me in person, they realize I can't handle stress the way most people do so I'd say I'm down near the low end of the scale with the tissues lol. Without my meds I was an absolute basket-case and borderline suicidal but now It's more manageable.

I'd say I have learned to fake being "normal" just enough to hold a job for the last 13 years but I'm always on the edge.

As far as O.C.D. just a simple thing like choosing an electric shaver or a new laptop made me only get 2-3 hours of sleep at night for almost a month before I made a choice...things like this consumed my whole life like an unstoppable monster. That was before I was on the meds.

Not that I'm complaining, it is what it is and I'm not looking for sympathy, just others who may have the same problems.

I understand where you're at completely. :thumbup:

 

[jmcook79]

Sorry to hear about the MS. Sometimes I have problems with that too, usually misunderstanding people's tone of voice for example thinking they are upset when they're not.

 

[Demache]

I had a friend throughout middle/high school that I believe that aspergers. Really funny to hang out with and a great kid overall but sometimes he would turn into a real asshole and didn't quite know his limits. Also a bit socially awkward and generally considered the "slow" kid in class. He also had this interesting fascination about Middle Eastern politics, culture and history.

 

[jmcook79]

Yeah people have it to varying degrees. I had an average GPA of 3.5 and I wasn't considered slow just different. I was extremely shy and never even dated until I was 21. After high school I went to college but the social anxiety was so bad I had to drop out. I really wish I would have gotten help back then but I thought I was just shy and didn't realize what was going on.

Eventually, working in retail forced me to deal with social situations better but the depression and anxiety just got worse in other ways. Now I'm not shy at all but still deal with anxiety, depression, and OCD on a daily basis. Now that I'm on meds it's a little better since they kind of take the edge off but I still have my ups and downs.

 

[huh]

Yes..I personally know 2 people who have been diagnosed with Aspergers(both highly successful) one a scientist the other a math whiz computer CEO and I know few people who probably have it but have not been formally diagnosed...I am pretty sure that Aspergers was just last year officially taken off the spectrum of Autism disorders?

 

[jmcook79]

I just looked into it and while Aspergers is no longer an official diagnosis, people with Aspergers are now considered to have autism spectrum disorder based on a severity scale. So now technically I am just considered autistic. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist Thursday and maybe i'll find out where on the scale I am.

In a way this is a good thing because children diagnosed with Aspergers didn't qualify for certain treatments because Aspergers was considered separate. Now they will base the decision on the severity of the autism.